West Lake & Tay Ho

Hoan Kiem is the lake everybody photographs; West Lake — Ho Tay — is the one people live on. It is many times larger, it takes hours to walk around, and the district on its shores is where a lot of Hanoi’s expatriates and much of its money have settled.

Thanh Nien road runs across the neck of it, separating the small Truc Bach lake from the big one, with Tran Quoc Pagoda on an islet at one end and the Taoist temple of Quan Thanh — one of the four temples that guarded the old capital — at the other.

What it costs

⭐ Free. The lakeside, Thanh Nien road and the shore paths are all public. Quan Thanh Temple takes a small admission; Tran Quoc does not.

When to go

Sunset, from the west side, is the reason to come. It is also the coolest air in the city on a hot evening, which is exactly why everyone else is there too.

Getting there

About twenty-five minutes’ walk north from the Old Quarter, or a few minutes in a ride-hailing car. Walking the whole shore is a serious undertaking — most people walk Thanh Nien and take a car for the rest.

If you only have an hour

Thanh Nien road end to end: Quan Thanh at the south, Tran Quoc on its causeway at the north, water on both sides the whole way. That is the good half-hour of West Lake.

What people get wrong

⚠️ Do not plan to walk around it. The circuit is roughly seventeen kilometres of mostly unremarkable road. The rewarding stretch is short and specific.

⭐ Expect to walk in the road. The footpath is where the city trades, cooks, parks and eats, so it is usually full. Walking in the traffic lane at the edge is normal here and drivers expect it — keep to a straight line and let them come around you.